Webinairs are highly popular and perhaps we are slow to jump on that boat.
Many genealogists would, no doubt, enjoy and benefit from them.
My personal choice, however, is a face-to-face conference. I want to see
how attendees react, "feel" the atmosphere in the room, sense the enthusiasm
of the speaker, gage his/her expertise. I find it encouraging to be in a
room with other genealogists. I like selecting a speaker that I have heard
about, read his/her work, or because I've heard him/her before and learned
something.
Examples: I was fortunate to get to the classroom early the first time I
heard Elizabeth Shown Mills speak because the room filled qulickly and
people were standing against the back wall and others were sitting on the
floor. I knew I was in for a great session and have tried not to miss her
presentations since - even to the point of taking a cruise when she was a
featured speaker. I regret I wasn't able to attend functions earlier during
Helen Leary's career, but once I heard her, I have tried not to miss any
opportunity to hear her speak. I ordered her tapes, and they are good, but
it simply isn't the same as watching her get into her topic. She's like a
race horse at the starting gate, and that eagerness is contagious.
There is also the possibility of finding someone else who is working on the
same line or is distantly related - this year's NGS conference was doubly
exciting because four of us who were descended from the same ancestor found
each other. I'll probably never miss another one.
It works for me.
Wanda Samek
-----Original Message-----
From: apgpubliclist-bounces at apgen.org
[mailto:apgpubliclist-bounces at apgen.org] On Behalf Of Jeanette Daniels
Sent: Saturday, October 03, 2009 9:03 AM
To: Amy Crow; apgpubliclist at apgen.org
Subject: Re: [APG Public List] Who Are We, Really?
Amy,
We are all at different levels of research experience, and what seems like a
more advanced presentation to one, isn't to another. I can't tell anything
from the titles as to whether the presenter will be presenting his topic in
depth enough for me to be more than entertained.
The suggestions yesterday were for more in depth presentations that if
needed would last more than 50 minutes. Or that these presentations cover
material in more specific ways than usually happens in the national
conference format. National conferences can stay the way that they are and
be there for the general public, beginners and those who think that the
conference presentations are at a higher level. Obviously, not everyone
feels this way. Those who need something beyond should be allowed to
explain their thoughts and desires.
Jeanette
_____
From: Amy Crow <amy at amyjohnsoncrow.com>
To: Jeanette Daniels <jeanettedaniels8667 at yahoo.com>
Cc: Rolgeiger at aol.com; apgpubliclist at apgen.org
Sent: Sat, October 3, 2009 7:47:17 AM
Subject: Re: [APG Public List] Who Are We, Really?
I don't think it is accurate to say that the national conferences "want to
keep them at the basic elementary level for the benefit of those just
starting in genealogy." In looking over the program for last month's FGS
conference in Little Rock, for example, I found these topics: "Murder and
Mayhem on the River: The Life of the Harpes," "Beyond the Dawes Rolls,"
"Congressional Hearings: A Primer on This Valuable Resource," "Genealogical
Application of Historical GIS," "Women and the Law," "Researching the Family
Business," "Inferential Genealogy," "Negro Soldiers of Antebellum
Louisiana".
I don't think you can classify any of those as being at the "basic
elementary level for the benefit of those just starting genealogy." (There
were several other such topics, but I didn't think anyone wanted me to
enumerate all of them.)
The difficulty in planning the program for a national (or even a state)
conference, as has been mentioned before, is that there is a **wide**
variety of attendees. Some are novices; others are professionals. Most fall
somewhere in between at any point on spectrum.
Amy Crow
On Oct 2, 2009, at 10:52 PM, Jeanette Daniels wrote:
Dear APG Public list,
I have truly enjoyed reading all the comments by everyone about Who Are We,
Really? as well as the National Conferences. It is great to have this type
of dialogue. It appears that those involved with the National Conferences
want to keep them at the basic elementary level for the benefit of those
just starting in genealogy. Others would like a more what I call a
"Continuing Education" type of conference where detailed studies are
presented in methology or research. I believe that both are beneficial.
I've been thinking how everyone that wants to be included could without a
lot of expense and ways that those who want to share can without again a lot
of expense.
I'm thinking of Roland in Germany and Larry in Canada as well as the fact
that in the US we live in at least 4 different time zones. How can we all
contribute to a presentation that we feel would benefit others and avoid
having all interested from spending a lot money to attend? The Internet is
my answer and I believe that Internet Continuing Education type conferences
can be created cheaply. I work with Heritage Genealogical College and it
would be possible to create an APG or independent conference online through
its website. HGC could donate space and create conference presentation
locations on its site. Or if APG wanted to create something on its website
that would be great as well. But I'm not sure that APG is willing or able
to do something like this.
If anyone is interested in something like this and in coming up with topics
and presentations, please respond. I believe that everyone that wants more
detailed presentations can be included. Below are some suggested general
topics that might be interested to explore with such online conference
presentations.
Cemetery plot research
Land title disputes
Missing heir research cases
Forensic and anthropological research
Medical DNA research
Historical research
Specific genealogical research projects
Improving the Genealogical Proof Standard
Thanks,
Jeanette
_____
From: "Rolgeiger at aol.com" <Rolgeiger at aol.com>
To: apgpubliclist at apgen.org
Sent: Fri, October 2, 2009 4:58:05 PM
Subject: Re: [APG Public List] Who Are We, Really?
In einer eMail vom 03.10.2009 00:33:42 Westeuropäische Normalzeit schreibt
mary at heirlines.com:
Is genealogy a viable occupation? Should we have a profession for the
practitioner? Why is there no profession in genealogy? Who would benefit
from having a real profession in genealogy? What is stopping us from
starting now and organizing a real profession in genealogy? Why shouldnt
we organize a profession so we can have the authority in Professional
Genealogy to establish best practices, standards, ethics, education degree
programs, competency testing and verifiable maintenance,
continuing-education, verifiable practitioner credentialing, members-only
profession practitioner and trade organizations? With a real profession in
genealogy, what would be the exclusive practitioner title?
Yeah, and once you have all that, what about us on the other side of an U.S.
border? Why should we care about what you consider or what you arrange?
Here in Germany genealogy is more or a less a hobby. There are some very few
of us who do it for money and there are a majority of others who look at us
with ravaging eyes stating on every opportunity they have how much they
don't like what we do. To be a professional may be a reason to be excluded
from one of the many German genealogical forums.
But like in the States everyone of us professionals has never passed an
examination or something like that. There is a group of professionals who
joined in a specific associtiation with its own "Code of Honor". I got an
invitation to join them but had no opportunity yet to visit one of the
conferences during which the accept new members. But there would be no need
to join them to work as a professional researcher. I've been working in the
matter for at least 15 years, specialising in emigration to the US (because
I speak English :-) and other stuff. So - when the company I worked for -
fired me five years ago, I became a professional researcher. Among other
things. I went to our Public Record Office, told them about the company I
would like to found (you need a company to be able to sell your own written
products), payed the fee of 30 Euros - and there was I facing the world
through my computer and said: "Hello, here I am!" Well, some came, other
didn't or haven't yet. :-)
You are lucky in the States. Genealogy is a common thing overthere on high
level. Here it's not much more than just another part of historic research
(I know a lady here in our county, historian by trade, who would never to
genealogy, oh my goodness, no such things - but that's less arrogance but
ignorance - in case there is a difference). People are not used to spend
more money in that subject than necessary - necessary would be fees for the
Public Record Office or the dioces archives or national or city archives.
Costs you cannot avoid. They pay without hesitation. But if you (or I) offer
the same service - maybe cheaper - well, that's not the same.
Oops, it's getting late (one in the monring).
Good night.
Roland Geiger
Roland Geiger
Historical and Genalogical Research
Alsfassener Strasse 17
66606 St. Wendel
Germany
phone ++49 - 6851-3166
email rolgeiger at aol.com
www.geiger-roland.de <http://www.geiger-roland.de/>
=> genealogy
=> local history
=> transcriptions (f.e. old German into modern)
=> guided tours through St. Wendel County (uhm, St. Wendel, Germany!)
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